E-Sports could boost appeal of Macau casinos: scholar

Competitive video games, also known as e-Sports, could be a good addition to the non-gaming offering of Macau’s casino resorts, suggested on Monday local scholar and legislator Davis Fong Ka Chio (pictured). The inclusion of e-Sports could also make the city’s casinos more competitive, as well as more attractive to younger generations, he added.

Mr Fong, the director of the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, was one of the speakers at the Tenth International Conference on the Legal Reforms of Macau in the Global Context – Gaming Law, held at the University of Macau.

The scholar said he believes that e-Sports is a segment that can complement the non-gaming offering of the city’s casino resorts.

“The setup for e-Sports is more or less the same as for a big convention centre … whenever there is an international e-Sports competition, thousands of players gather [in one venue]. And this [e-Sports] event does not last just one or two days – it could last a month,” Mr Fong told reporters on the sidelines of Monday’s conference. He added that the participants in such competitions could also help improve the performance of other business segments, such as catering, accommodation and other entertainment offers.

During the conference, Mr Fong suggested that the city’s casino operators could continue to evaluate market demand by hosting more e-Sports competitions. The scholar did not agree however that such segment should be classified as gaming.

“In 2017, there have been some casino operators here that have hosted such [e-Sports] tournaments. We should continue to test whether this non-gaming item is successful or not, and gather some more experience. After that we can have a more accurate understanding in order for it to be introduced to the [city's] gaming legal framework,” Mr Fong said during the conference.

Macau-based casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd was the title sponsor of an e-Sport event held from August 25 to 27 at its Cotai property Broadway Macau. Another e-Sports event, “GIRLGAMER 2017 Esports Festival”, was held from late August to early September at Studio City in Cotai, a property promoted by Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd.